Chapter 1838 — Wuyai as the Sacrifice

The two of them watched the great battle raging within Jade Capital City in silence, neither speaking a word.

The Lunar Heaven Sovereign trusted him deeply.

To this day, Shen Mu had never once disappointed her. She understood his worry—he feared she did not trust him. But she had always trusted him; it was only that this trust was something she could not put into words for him.

After a long silence, of a sudden Shen Mu stepped forth, charging into the city, making straight for the Dao-Achiever controlled by the Fourth Young Master. The Lunar Heaven Sovereign followed close behind, like a fallen leaf drifting at Shen Mu's back, moving as the wind willed.

Far off, Elder Wuyai saw this and at last set his heart at ease. He too charged straight into Jade Capital City, hurling himself at Heavenly Lord Hao, whom the Third Young Master Lingxiao controlled.

With the two great powers joined, the Ancestral Court's Jade Capital City tottered on the brink.

For years Jade Capital City had been amassing blood-sacrifice energy, yet no new Hall Master or Dao-Achiever had ever descended—all so that the Dao-Soldiers of the Third and Fourth Young Masters might descend, possessing strength enough to contend with Shen Mu and Elder Wuyai.

With the Young Masters themselves unable to descend, sending down their Dao-Soldiers was the finest choice for opposing these two great powers.

Moreover, the two Young Masters could also descend through their respective followers, and through those followers' fleshly bodies unleash a portion of their battle strength.

Yet Shen Mu and Elder Wuyai joining hands to besiege Jade Capital City still placed the city under tremendous pressure.

Though Shen Mu had held secret meetings with the Third and Fourth Young Masters, agreeing to stand against Elder Wuyai and Young Master Wuji, he showed not the slightest restraint, instead striking at Young Master Zixiao with lethal intent, one killing move after another without end!

Boom!

Shen Mu erected the Cosmic Bell. With a single dong, the myriad Other Realms all around quaked, and the Great Chiliocosmic Other Realm even showed signs of being shattered by a single toll of Shen Mu's bell!

"Fourth Brother, this time it is our alliance that will trap and slay Second Sister and Elder Wuyai."

Shen Mu's bell-shock set Young Master Zixiao's qi and blood roiling, yet in his hand there suddenly appeared a Taiyi Divine Axe. Executing the move Taiyi Fells the Tree, he cleaved at Young Master Zixiao, lowering his voice: "I beg Fourth Brother to show mercy. Only when Second Sister makes her move will we have the strength to stand against her!"

"Well said!"

Young Master Zixiao raised his hand, three fingers pressing three zither strings—he too held nothing back. The strings loosened, and the divine powers within them erupted; Other Realm after Other Realm flew like blades, ding-ding-ding, clashing against the axe's edge!

Those Other Realms were like thin mirror-faces. Cleaved apart by Shen Mu, they flew past on either side of him, howling and swelling behind his back, transforming into one Great Luotian after another.

Shen Mu's muscles surged. Taiyi Fells the Tree split those Other Realms apart and chopped into Young Master Zixiao's palm—the palm was severed by a single axe-stroke. Yet his body vanished, leaving only the severed hand behind. The next instant he appeared within a Great Luotian transformed from an Other Realm behind Shen Mu. The zither strings stirred, slicing across the back of Shen Mu's neck!

Shen Mu's head shot skyward—then with a sudden peng it burst apart, transforming into a mass of chaos qi. From within the chaos qi a Chaos Sword flew out and landed in Shen Mu's hand.

A new head grew forth from Shen Mu's neck. His feet split apart—the Tiandu Genesis Chapter erupted!

Young Master Zixiao's ancient zither howled in flight around him, its strings plucked by no hand, and in an instant Other Realms danced across the heavens, transforming into Great Luotians one after another to contend against Shen Mu's strike!

The two figures crossed and interwove, both drenched in blood.

Young Master Zixiao's face was placid, imposing without anger. In crossing blades with Shen Mu, if he held anything back, he would surely be beaten to death by Shen Mu!

If Shen Mu were given the chance, he would absolutely seize—even destroy—Young Master Zixiao's treasures!

Suddenly, Young Master Zixiao's eye twitched. His gaze fell upon the Lunar Heaven Sovereign, dancing on the wind at Shen Mu's back. It was this very Lunar Heaven Sovereign who had repeatedly played the zither piece of his departed wife, repeatedly disturbed his Dao-heart, causing many of Jade Capital City's operations to fail.

Young Master Zixiao had once ordered her killed, yet she had escaped time and again.

"What does Old Seven truly want? To join hands with us against Second Sister, and yet bring this woman along—Old Seven's heart is anything but simple!"

He had no time to ponder further. Shen Mu's thoughts leapt and darted, his mind nigh impossible to grasp. This time, for instance, everyone in Jade Capital City had thought Shen Mu would join hands with Elder Wuyai to oppose Jade Capital City and prevent the Fourth Young Master's Dao-Soldiers from descending.

No one had expected Shen Mu to come to Jade Capital City and ally with the city against Elder Wuyai and Young Master Wuji.

To guess the thoughts of a fellow with such an odd turn of mind as Shen Mu, one could only first make one's own mind as odd as his. Young Master Zixiao thought highly of himself, and naturally would not "lower" his own caliber.

"But this woman must be eliminated!"

Young Master Zixiao's gaze flickered. He transmitted his voice to Young Master Lingxiao. At this moment the other Hall Masters of Jade Capital City were mired in bitter battle, and the Dao-Achievers had no strength to spare. Only Young Master Lingxiao, when Young Master Wuji made her move, would have strength left to slay the Lunar Heaven Sovereign and root out the hidden threat!

He and Shen Mu unleashed killing move upon killing move, and in the span of a breath each had taken wounds.

Young Master Zixiao gave a long howl. Imperial might erupted. Within the zither's notes, divine powers transformed into the Great Chiliocosmic Other Realm, and his figure could appear at any place within that Great Chiliocosmic Other Realm at will, like the emperor of myriad universes!

And the quivering of the zither strings made his divine powers elusive as ghosts, impossible to guard against!

This was the manifestation of Dao Realm domain cultivated to its utmost.

His domain could no longer be called a domain—it was a Dao Domain.

A domain rises with one's Dao Realm; as many layers of Dao Realm as one has, so many layers of domain. Cultivate to the Thirty-Sixth Heaven, and the thirty-sixth layer of domain imprints upon the ultimate void—that is the Great Luotian.

Yet Young Master Zixiao's domain differed from others'. His cultivation method was peculiar, his great Dao exceedingly wondrous; it could transform into myriads of Dao Domains, each Dao Domain like a layer of Great Luotian—save that within these Dao Domains there were no Dao Trees, Dao Flowers, or Dao Fruits.

And each layer of Dao Domain corresponded to a different great Dao divine power. In attainment of Dao arts, Young Master Zixiao was absolutely no weaker than Young Master Taishang, Young Master Wuji, and Young Master Lingxiao—perhaps even surpassing them!

To attain, in some domain, an achievement even the Master of the Mira Palace could not reach—that is what makes one a Young Master. Young Master Zixiao had attained, in Dao arts, an achievement the Master of the Mira Palace himself had never possessed!